Echo of election: opposition appeals election results

The territorial and constituency election commission have only one day to consider the appeals against violations of voting procedures – both during the early vote and that on 25 April. Opposition representatives from various regions of the country have lodged numerous appeals against the violations, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

Vitsebsk region

Chair of the Haradok district office of the BPF Leanid Autukhou, who was running for the Vitsebsk Regional Council, lodged a complaint with the local constituency election commission against election violations at Gagarin polling station #5.

‘My observer was present there, later I joined him during the vote counting. However, there was no vote counting! The ballots were piled and the commission chair started counting something on her calculator and peeping in a paper. Other observers also saw that. I said: ‘Did you see the violation? We have drawn up a report. Will you sign it?’ They answered: ‘No, we want to work!’

According to the official data, Mr. Autukhou received 13% of the votes.

Siarhei Salodkin, teacher of Belarusian in the village of Koptsi, Vitsebsk district, was told his employment contract would be terminated.

‘Maybe, this is because of my newspaper ‘Poklich Voli’. I wrote an article there named ‘Political Pathology’, saying that the people did not want any changes, they just went and voted,’ said Mr. Salodkin.

The newspaper is published and distributed by Siarhei Salodkin himself. The latest issue must have been come across by the school’s administration.

Homel region

Chair of the UCP’s Homel regional office Vasil Paliakou was member of local constituency election commission #12.

In his remarks to the final minutes of the commission, Mr. Paliakou stated that observes had recorded false data on early vote at 6 polling stations of Homel.

‘All this electoral process cannot be called an election,’ says the politician.

Hrodna region

Opposition candidates report of cases of rigging voting results.

According to Ms. Iryna Veshtart, the commission’s chair strongly opposed the observation and repeatedly called for the police to turn the observers out.

‘I was approached by the commission’s chair who said: ‘Where is it written that I have to announce results from each of the ballot boxes?’ I showed him Article 55 of the Electoral Code, then I quoted Article 13, which states that observers have a right to receive information and that the elections are supposed to be public. They counted the ballots from the box of the day of election and then there was silence again…’, says Ms. Veshtart.

Ms. Veshtart also said that the final minutes had not been signed by the commission members. According to her, there were signatures under the blank paper, which was later filled by the chair.

An interesting incident was recorded in the town of Lunna, Masty district. The local activist Uladzimer Brytsko was running for the Lunna Council.

‘He was born there, everybody knows him, because he is a stove-setter and has made stoves to many of the local residents. Everybody welcomes him like a relative. And his results are: 11 for and 64 – against. This is incredible, that is what the people say,’ says Liavon Karpovich.